Paint stirring machine and method for mounting same

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a paint stirring machine of the type driven by stirrer lids, on each of which is mounted a paint can, the stirrer lids being suspended by supports with lateral slide-rails on shelves ( 3 ) of the machine and individually driven by means of a front meshing pinion engaged on a rotating endless screw of the shelf, the machine comprising two vertical posts ( 1 ) supporting the shelves, one of the posts including, enclosed in a housing, the assembly of pulleys and belt driving the closed in a housing, the assembly of pulleys and belts driving the endless screws of the shelves. The invention is characterized in that the endless screw bearings ( 19 ) and the assembly of pulleys and belts driving the endless screws are pre-assembled adjusted on the corresponding post ( 1 ).

This invention relates to a paint stirring machine and the assemblymethod thereof.

It relates in particular to a machine with a drive for stirring lids,each of which bears a paint can, wherein the lids are suspended by meansof lateral slide rails on shelves on the machine and individually drivenby a front meshing pinion engaged on a worm gear rotating on the shelf.

A machine according to a close prior art has two vertical postssupporting the shelves, of which one bears the pulley and belt assemblyenclosed in a housing to drive the shelf worm gears. However, each shelfhas its own worm gear rotation axis which must be mounted on thecorresponding post. Assembling the shelf bearing requires that thebearing be attached to the post, on one hand, and on the other hand,that the corresponding pulley and drive belt coupling be mounted intothe post housing. In addition, mounting the gear motor drive at the baseof the post requires specific tools and wrenches. This assembly work isrelatively complex and time-consuming, and therefore requires qualifiedstaff and a considerable work time.

This invention aims at correcting these disadvantages and proposes apaint stirring machine of the type with driven stirrer lids, on each ofwhich is mounted a paint can, the stirrer lids being supported by meansof lateral slide rails on shelves of the machine and individually drivenby a front meshing pinion engaged on a rotating shelf worm gear, whereinthe machine comprises two vertical posts, one of which bears the pulleyand belt assembly driving the shelf worm gears enclosed in a housing,said machine being characterized in that the worm gear bearings and thepulley and belt assembly driving the worm gears are pre-mounted in anadjusted condition on the corresponding post.

Said worm gear bearings each include an axially tapped shaftaccommodating a threaded rod of the worm gear coupling axis, so that theworm gear can be quickly assembled on the bearing with no otheradjustment, by screwing the worm gear axially on its bearing.

The coupling between each worm gear and the corresponding post bearingcan be implemented by means of a coupling joint, e.g. with a rubber padengaged with two threaded end pieces, respectively in the tapped bearingshaft and the opposed end of the worm gear, wherein this joint functionsas a gimbal joint compensating for the possible slight misalignments ofthe axis, dampens the drive jerks and ensures safety against anexcessive drive force.

This invention also relates to the assembly method for this paintstirring machine.

The assembly method is characterized by the following steps:

-   -   arranging the post bearing the pulley and drive belt assembly        for the shelves on the gear motor so as to couple the drive belt        of the pulley and drive belt assembly with the drive pulley of        the gear motor,    -   performing the final assembly of the gear motor on the post,    -   connecting the two posts bearing the shelves in their vertical        position by means of two rear bars hinged into a cross and        attached to each of the posts at their ends,    -   installing the shelves equipped with the worm gears conditioned        to be held motionless on the posts,    -   releasing the worm gears from their conditioning and screwing        them for a locked attachment on the pre-mounted bearing axes,        driving said bearings via the gear motor drive,    -   connecting the shelves rigidly with a vertical middle bar that        also rests on the floor to act as a middle support for the        shelves, and    -   attaching a head panel bearing information about the machine to        the upper end of the posts.

In addition, it is advantageous to use a part called “comb” engaging theturns of the worm gear with its active toothed part and clamped with anarresting snap lock on the bearing profile or the shelf body to hold theworm gears conditioned and motionless, said comb part also allowing,when assembling the worm on its bearing, to shift it horizontallytowards its bearing so as to ensure the screwed hold of its threadedaxle rod into the corresponding bearing axle internal thread.

The result of this arrangement, as compared to the conventional machinesquoted above, is that there is no need of a lengthy and difficultcoupling work to drive each of the shelf worm gears on the correspondingdrive post, by coupling and adjusting the pulley and drive belt thereofafter assembling the axle bearing, wherein this coupling and assembly ofthe bearings is adjusted during manufacturing in the corresponding postaccording to the invention. This saves a considerable work time forspecialist staff.

Other advantageous assembly and mounting features of the paint stirringmachine according to this invention arc described below in relation withthe appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the stirring machine according to theinvention as mounted;

FIG. 2 is a cut-away view of the machine showing its individualcomponents;

FIGS. 3 and 3 a are rear views showing the assembly of the gear motor onthe shelf drive post of the machine;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views showing the assembly of the uncoupled shelf endon the corresponding support post of the machine;

FIG. 6 shows the shelf coupling end;

FIGS. 7, 7 a and 7 b show the coupling of the shelf on the correspondingshelf drive post;

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the assembly of the middle shelf connecting bar;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show the closure of the drive post housing;

FIGS. 12 and 13 show the assembly of the upper panel on the machineposts; and

FIG. 14 shows a machine shelf according to a variant.

As represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, the paint stirring machine according tothe invention mainly comprises two vertical posts 1 on which areinstalled shelves 3 to drive the stirring lids (not represented), alower gear motor 5, a vertical middle bar 7 connected to the shelves 3and an upper vertical head panel 9 assembled to the two vertical posts 1of the machine.

The stirring machine belongs to the type with a worm gear 11 driving thestirring lids, which are slidably engaged on slide rails 13 of the shelfand engaged to be driven on the worm gear 11 by a front rack in contactwith the worm turn.

The posts 1 carry the shelves 3 in a substantially horizontalarrangement and at a varying height from each other, according to thesize of the suspended paint cans, with the lower shelves generallybearing the largest cans.

The post 1 located on the left of the drawing encloses the pulley anddrive belt assembly 15 for each of the shelf worm gears, which assemblyis coupled by a belt 17 to the output pulley of the gear motor attachedto the base of the post.

The pulley and belt assembly 15 in the post and the opposed shelfcoupling bearings 19 are attached and adjusted during manufacturing onthe inner side of the post. The post is delivered fully equipped. Theother post on the right is only used to support the shelves opposite theleft post, using a lower foot 21.

The middle bar 7 is rigidly connected to the shelves 3 and, since itstands on the floor, also ensures a supporting function for the middlepart of the shelves against the weight of the supported cans.

The upper head panel 9 connects the posts in their upper part, as do thelower parts of two bars 23 hinged into a cross.

The assembly of the machine shall now be described. It can be effectedquickly, in less than 15 minutes per machine, without tools and thusmanually, and by one person.

The driving post 1 fully equipped with its internal pulley and drivebelt assembly 15 and the shelf drive bearings 19 is first arranged onthe gear motor support 5. The gear motor is accommodated in the lowerinside cavity 25 of the post. This substantially rectangular cavity 25has two distant upper vertical lumens 27 that allow attachment bytightening a corresponding hand knob screw 29 each screwed integrallywith the gear motor support. A vertical lumen 31, of which the inner endpart 33 is tilted forwards, is also formed on the inner front edge ofthe post. The back heel of the post has another vertical lumen forengagement with a corresponding tightening knob screw 29 integral withthe gear motor. The post is positioned by inserting its front lowerlumen 31 onto the corresponding knob screw 29 of the motor gear supportin a position that is naturally tilted forwards. This position (FIG. 3)makes it easier to mount the coupling belt 17 of the gear motor outputpulley opposite the drive assembly 15 of the post. When the belt ismounted, the post is noticeably straightened up into a vertical position(FIG. 3 a), which position can be arrested by tightening the back heelknob. The belt is adjusted taut then locked in position by the backupper knob. The front upper and lower knobs are then tightened to lockthe assembly between the post and the gear motor. The assembly restsvertically on the floor in a stable position and is held by its frontand transverse lower feet 37 integral with the gear motor support.

The external housing of this post must then be formed, although thisenclosure can be provided at a later stage. For safety and to isolatethe pulleys and belts of the driving assembly, this enclosure can beperformed at that stage. It is illustrated by FIGS. 10 and 11.

The external housing metal panel 29 of the post, complementary with theinternal metal panel 41, both forming a rectangular housing whenassembled, has four lateral legs 43, one at the bottom and one at thetop of each front and back side, engaged to slide vertically downwardsas shown by the arrow into complementary lumens 45 of the internalhousing plate. The external housing metal panel 39 also has an uppertongue 47 on each of its opposite front and back sides, which is cut outof the upper side part of the panel. This tongue 47 can be turnedinwards with a strong return force so that when the external housingmetal panel 39 is engaged downwards on the internal housing panel 41with an adjustment in edge height at the upper level, this tongue standsout of the upper edge of the internal housing, returns inwards and belowit and thus prevents the internal housing to rise relative to theexternal housing, unless this tongue is pulled outwards at the risk ofdeforming it, e.g. with a blade tool.

Now the two shelf support posts 1 must be connected. This is achieved bymeans of two cross-bars 23 hinged in their middle so that their endsform a rectangle; said ends have lower indentations 49 arrangedsymmetrically relative to the hinge, which engage with rear hook parts(not represented) standing out from each of the shelf support posts bypairs at the bottom of each of the posts.

As soon as they are mounted on the posts, these cross-bars connect themvertically and thus form a mounting template for the shelves supportingthe stirring lids, as described below.

The shelves 3 are delivered with their worm gear 11 (FIG. 6) heldconditioned and motionless by means of a part called comb 51 engagingthe worm turns with its active comb part in their front slit 53 andsnap-locked onto the body of the shelf.

Each shelf is successively inserted at its free end 55 (FIG. 4) into acomplementary recess 57 of the right post formed at an adequate heighton the post for each shelf to be supported.

The end of the shelf has two vertical lower lateral indentations 59wherewith it can be engaged down to be snap-locked transversally intosaid recess 57 then shifted backwards (FIG. 5) into a narrow lowersetback 61 preventing the shelf end to rise and shift to the front.

The shelf positioned so as to slide freely in the post recess 57 isbrought towards the corresponding worm gear bearing 19, which is firstattached at an adequate height on the drive post as explained above. Theshelf is then snap-locked at its end opening 63 (FIG. 7 a) on thecomplementary body of the bearing 19. At the end of the engagement (FIG.7 b), the shelf is automatically locked in position by the partsengaging snap locked into place.

The worm gear 11 is coupled to its bearing 19 in a simple and quick way,as explained below with reference to FIG. 7.

Each worm 11 has at its end on the bearing side a coupling joint 65 witha rubber pad or head 67, with two opposed threaded plugs of which one isthreaded into the screw end by a complementary internal thread and theother 69 is designed to be screwed to the bearing. This coupling jointallowing a resilient axial connection between the worm and its bearing(functioning as a gimbal joint, a damper and a drive security) isdesigned to be screwed at its end plug 69 into a complementary axialinternal thread 71 of the internal bearing shaft.

To achieve this, the comb part 51 is removed from its conditioning snaplock and left engaged with the worm turn, and the worm 11 is shiftedtowards the bearing 19 and into contact between the threaded joint plug69 and the corresponding internal thread 71 in the bearing shaft. Thebearing shaft is rotated by the motor to screw the bearing shaft ontothe corresponding coupling joint plug of the rotating worm. At the endof the screwing process, the assembly abuts and drives the worm. Oncethe worm gear has been coupled with the post bearing, the bearing shaftdrive helps perfecting the screwed assembly between the worm and itsbearing by always driving it in the same direction.

The other shelves are assembled in the same way.

When all shelves are mounted, the middle bar 7 connecting the shelvescan be mounted (FIGS. 8 and 9). This bar has locking parts 73snap-locked with the shelves and engaged into appropriate upper lumens75 in the shelves and adequately attached each at a given height on thebar according to the position of the shelves in height. These parts havean upper vertical lumen 77 that accommodates the knobbed head of a quickhand screw 79 screwed into the bar body, so that its height can beadjusted along their height. The bar 7 is thus pushed downwards asindicated by the arrow to enable the snap-locked engagement of theengaging parts 73 on the shelves, then the knobbed hand screws 79 aretightened to adjust to each shelf, with the end of the bar resting onthe floor.

The upper head panel 9 then remains to be mounted at the end of theposts (FIGS. 12, 13).

The head panel 9 has two opposing lateral hooking fingers 81snap-locking into complementary indentations 83 provided at the frontupper end of the posts. The head panel 9 is laid vertically on the frontupper part of the posts, as indicated by the arrow, so that the headpanel fingers come into the respective indentations of the post and arehooked and locked therein by engaging the hooks to the front while thehead panel is pressed against the posts.

Other accessories can also be mounted, such as the control switch 85 formachine operation, which is also snap-locked on the drive post 1 with anautomatic contact connection to the electrical power supply system ofthe machine.

The above shows that the paint stirring machine according to theinvention can be assembled with extreme ease, with no special tools andwith a self-engagement of the components in the specified order, by oneperson and within less than 15 minutes, without having to adjust anydrive coupling.

As a variant of the machine (FIG. 14), it should be noted that the gearmotor set 5 can be replaced by a number of small electric motors 87arranged into the post to replace the shelf bearing pulleys and drivingthe worm gears of the shelves directly via external bearings 19identical to those described above, wherein the motors can also turn atvarying speeds and at a different speed from each other. Thisarrangement also provides more freedom to position the shelves withoutany constraints from the pulley and belt assembly on the post.

1. Paint stirring machine with a drive for stirring lids, each of whichbears a paint can, wherein the stirring lids are suspended by means oflateral slide rails on shelves (3) on the machine and individuallydriven by a front meshing pinion engaged on a worm gear (11) rotating onthe shelf, which machine comprises two vertical posts (1) supporting theshelves, of which one bears the pulley and belt assembly (15) enclosedin a housing to drive the shelf worm gears (11), characterized in thatthe worm gear bearings (19) and the pulley and belt assembly (15)driving the worm gears are pre-mounted in an adjusted condition on thecorresponding post (1) and said worm gear bearings (19) each include anaxially tapped shaft accommodating the threaded rod of the worm gear(11) axis, so that the worm gear (11) can be quickly assembled on thebearing (19) with no other adjustment, by screwing the worm gear axiallyon its bearing.
 2. Stirring machine as per claim 1, characterized inthat the coupling between each worm gear (11) and the corresponding postbearing (19) can be implemented by means of a coupling joint (65). 3.Stirring machine as per claim 2, characterized in that said couplingjoint (65) is of the type with a rubber pad or head (67) engaged withtwo threaded end pieces (69), respectively in the tapped bearing (19)shaft and the opposed end of the worm gear (11), wherein this jointfunctions as a gimbal joint compensating for the possible slightmisalignments of the axis, dampens the drive jerks and ensures safetyagainst an excessive drive force.
 4. Assembly method for a paintstirring machine as defined in any one of the preceding claims,characterized in that it includes the following steps: arranging thepost (1) bearing the pulley and drive belt assembly (15) for the shelveson the gear motor (5) or its support so as to couple the drive belt (17)of the pulley and drive belt assembly (15) with the drive pulley of thegear motor (5), performing the final assembly of the gear motor on thepost (1), connecting the two posts (1) bearing the shelves in theirvertical position by means of two rear bars hinged into a cross (23) andattached to each of the posts (1) at their ends, installing the shelves(3) equipped with the worm gears (11) conditioned to be held motionlesson the posts (1), releasing the worm gears (11) from their conditioningand screwing them for a locked attachment on the pre-mounted bearing(19) axes, driving said bearings via the gear motor drive (5),connecting the shelves (3) rigidly with a vertical middle bar (7) thatalso rests on the floor to act as a middle support for the shelves, andattaching a head panel (9) bearing information about the machine to theupper end of the posts (1).
 5. Assembly method for a paint stirringmachine as per claim 4, characterized in that said gear motor (5) or itssupport is accommodated in the lower inside cavity (25) of thecorresponding post and attached thereto by means of hand knob screw (29)screwed integrally with the gear motor (5) and tightened intoappropriate lumens of the post housing, wherein the lumens allowadjusting the tension of the coupling belt (17) from the post driveassembly to the gear motor and arresting the position of the assemblythus obtained.
 6. Assembly method for a paint stirring machine as perany one of claims 4, 5, characterized in that a vertical lumen, of whichthe inner end part (33) is tilted forwards, is formed on the inner frontedge of the post (1), that the back heel of the post has anothervertical lumen for engagement with a corresponding tightening hand knobscrew integral with the gear motor, and that the post (1) is positionedby inserting its front lower lumen onto the corresponding knob screw ofthe motor gear in a position that is naturally tilted forwards, whichposition makes it easier to mount the coupling belt (17) of the gearmotor is output pulley opposite the drive assembly of the post, and whenthe belt (17) is mounted, the post (1) is noticeably straightened upinto a substantially vertical position and arrested by tightening theback heel knob screw, after which the belt (17) is adjusted taut thenlocked in position by the back upper knob screw, the front upper andlower knob screw then being tightened to lock the assembly between thepost and the gear motor and the resulting assembly resting vertically onthe floor in a stable position and being held by its front andtransverse lower feet (37) integral with the gear motor support. 7.Assembly method for a paint stirring machine as per any one of claims4-6, characterized in that the drive post (1) comprises an externalhousing metal panel (39) and an internal metal panel (41) accommodatingthe shelf drive and bearing (19) assembly (15), in that the externalhousing metal panel is closed integral with the internal housing metalpanel by engagement of interlocking legs (43) engaged to slidevertically downwards into complementary lumens (45) of the internalhousing plate, wherein the external housing metal panel also has anupper tongue (47) on each of its opposite front and back sides, which iscut out on the upper side part of the panel, said tongue (47) beingturned inwards with a strong return force so that when the externalhousing metal panel is engaged downwards on the internal housing panel,this tongue (47) stands out of the upper edge of the internal housing(41), returns inwards and below it and thus prevents the internalhousing (41) to rise relative to the external housing (39).
 8. Assemblymethod for a paint stirring machine as per any one of claims 4-7,characterized in that there is provided in addition a so-called combpart (51) engaging the turns of the worm gear (11) with its activetoothed part and clamped with an arresting snap lock on the shelf bodyto hold the worm gear (11) conditioned and motionless, said comb part(51) also allowing, when assembling the worm (11) on its bearing (19),to shift it horizontally towards its bearing so as to ensure the screwedhold of its threaded axle rod into the corresponding bearing (19) axleinternal thread.
 9. Assembly method for a paint stirring machine as perany one of claims 4-8, characterized in that each shelf (3) issuccessively inserted at its free end (55) into a complementary recess(57) in a post, wherein the end of the shelf has two vertical lowerlateral indentations (59) wherewith it can be engaged down to besnap-locked transversally into said recess (57) then shifted backwardsinto a narrow lower setback (61) of the recess preventing the shelf endto rise and shift to the front, wherein the shelf positioned so as toslide freely in the post recess (57) is brought towards thecorresponding worm gear bearing (19) and engaged to be arrested at itsend opening (63) on the complementary body of the bearing (19) thenautomatically locked in position by the parts engaging snap locked intoplace.
 10. Assembly method for a paint stirring machine as per any oneof claims 4-9, characterized in that in order to couple the worm gear(11) with its bearing (19), the comb part (51) is removed from itsconditioning snap lock and left engaged with the worm turn, and the worm(11) is shifted towards the bearing (19) and into contact between thethreaded shaft or coupling joint plug (69) and the correspondinginternal thread (71) in the bearing shaft, and the bearing shaft is thenrotated by the motor to screw the bearing shaft onto the correspondingcoupling joint plug of the rotating screw, and at the end of thescrewing process, the assembly abuts and drives the screw.
 11. Assemblymethod for a paint stirring machine as per any one of claims 4-10,characterized in that said middle bar (7) comprises locking parts (73)snap-locked with the shelves (3), which parts have an upper verticallumen (77) that accommodates the knobbed head of a quick hand screw (79)screwed into the bar body, so that its height can be adjusted alongtheir height, and the bar (7) is pushed downwards to enable thesnap-locked engagement of the engaging parts on the shelves, then theknobbed set screws (79) are tightened to adjust to each shelf, with theend of the bar resting on the floor.
 12. Assembly method for a paintstirring machine as per any one of claims 4-11, characterized in thatsaid head panel (9) has two opposing lateral hooking fingers (81)snap-locking into complementary indentations (83) provided at the frontupper end of the posts (1) so that the head panel (9) is laid verticallyon the front upper part of the posts (1), with the head panel fingers(81) coming into the respective indentations (83) of the post and beinghooked and locked therein by engaging the hooks to the front while thehead panel (9) is pressed against the posts (1).
 13. Assembly method fora paint stirring machine as per any one of claims 4-12, characterized inthat other accessories can also be mounted, such as the control switch(85) for machine operation, which is also snap-locked on the drive post(1) with an automatic contact connection to the electrical power supplysystem of the machine.
 14. Assembly method for a paint stirring machineas per any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the gear motor set(5) can be replaced by a number of small electric motors (87) arrangedinto the post to replace the shelf bearing pulleys and driving the wormgears (11) of the shelves directly via external bearings (19), whereinthe motors can also turn at varying speeds and at a different speed fromeach other.